IVE Youth Festival 2011

In addition to the liturgical, sacramental, intellectual, and devotional aspects of our Catholic faith, through the Youth Festival we try to give a witness to the youth in one other crucial aspect—joy. Whether it is in singing, playing sports, acting in skits and movies or just joking around with the youth (and each other!), we tried to give a compelling testimony to the youth that Christ does not simply promise eternal life to those who give up everything to follow Him—he also promises a hundred-fold reward in this life, and so we sought to convey—over this weekend in particular—that the life of the person abandoned to God is a life of joy here on earth as well as in heaven! Between this testimony of joy and the various spiritual activities of the weekend, we try to give the youth a taste of what it means to be a Catholic fully alive—whether as a layperson or as a religious.